Sports Medicine

Femoral Anteversion

05/09/2011

Question:

Hi, I`m fourteen and I have femoral anteversion. I do have some pain in my legs (especially when I walk up stairs or run) It`s nothing terrible but it`s annoying and sometimes difficult. I can`t do sports. I`ve had inserts in my shoes but they haven`t been really helping. The doctor said all I can do is really just try to walk straight, but it`s not helping. I`m worried that this will get worse. My doctor said I don`t need surgery, but I`m not so sure. Is it risky? I`m not sure what to do.

Answer:

Femoral anteversion is due to a variation in the angle between the neck and shaft of the femur or thigh bone, resulting in an inward rotation or twist to the femur, and is the most commong cause of in-toeing.

Although nonsurgical treatments will not correct or fix femoral anteversion, these options should be exhausted prior to more seriously considering major surgical intervention. Shoe inserts would not of course treat the cause of this problem since it's at the hip, despite which these could potentially provide some degree of benefit, depending on their design and fit, as well as depending on the flexibility or stiffness of a person's foot and ankle structures. Other interventions could include flexibility and strengthening exercises if there are any muscular imbalances present.

You are concerned your femoral anteversion may get worse, but actually, the degree of rotational deformity in nearly all cases decreases/improves as a child gets older. Surgery is therefore rarely necessary.

If you are not satisfied with the information or treatment received from your physician, you may want to seek a second opinion.

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